I was bored and thought I'd write a list of my favorite dungeons, and here some of yours. You can find a list here: http://zelda.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_dungeons

5) Forest Temple (Ocarina of Time): A Classic, I don't think it you can have a top dungeon list without including this dungeon. I barely made it on here though, as Zelda has come a long way since OoT and while it's still a very enjoyable game the dungeons just aren't as impressive anymore. I'll give it a Nostalgic boost though purely because of the atmosphere and standards this dungeon set. The idea of tracking down the Poe's to advance was a different take on dungeon progression(that wasn't annoying, like Princess Ruto escort ). Boss fight was meh, however. Exploitable and was far as fun goes it's pretty low on my list of enjoyable bosses.

4) Arbiter's Grounds (Twilight Princess): I was considering replacing Forest Temple with this dungeon since they're practically the same concept... however Arbiter's just has so much going for it. The dungeon is creepy yet appealing to look at. It makes good use of both human link and wolf link's abilities and is fun to play from start to finish. Admittedly it's been a little while since I've played TP, this dungeon really lingers in what I remember from the game. It practically rehashes the idea from the Forest Temple, you gotta hunt down 4 poes, yadda yadda. ReDeads make a reappearance and despite not being face-humpers anymore, do a damn good job of being terrorizing. I really liked what they did with the mini-boss(pretty much Death, which matches the theme of the temple). The item you gain is one of the most fun, but sadly under-utilized weapons in any Zelda game. You get the Spinner, which is pretty much link on a giant spinning skateboard. It's designed like a gear so while you ride around you can latch onto rails along the walls, and fall into gearholes to activate traps and such. Fun stuff... hardly ever used outside of the temple though. However, it brings in one of the best boss-fights of the series. I can't think of a more enjoyable fight. Fun, fun stuff. I have a save file dedicated purely to playing this boss.

3) Ancient Cistern (Skyward Sword):
A water-based dungeon that doesn't suck. In fact, it's the opposite, it's great! It's not convoluted and mind-numbing to navigate(Water Temple[OoT], Great Bay Temple[MM]) and is relatively simple. The design of the dungeon draws from Buddhism and it looks amazing. It incorporates water in a way that's not overwhelming, and with the wiimote+ water controls it wasn't hard to swim around at all. Major selling points to me are the underworld portion and the boss. Most enjoyable boss in the game. Features the whole "must swing wiimote+ in a specific direction" gimmick without feeling forced, but instead it's very natural(as opposed to many enemies/bosses that it's quite obvious they want to swing your sword in a specific way).

2) Snowpeak Ruins (Twilight Princess):
Creative, different, refreshing. While the dungeon and puzzles themselves aren't all that amazing, the twist here is that you're not raiding some uninhabited dungeon. The entire premise is that you're helping a Yeti make his sick wife better and the dungeon is actually their house. It's so different than the repetitive premise of the game it's surprising you ever see such a thing in a Zelda game. It shows despite all the flaws they really do try and innovate. Your goal was to navigate the house(which is unsurprisingly filled with lots of dangerous enemies) and find the ingredients for soup. Each ingredient leads you into a different direction(btw the Yeti giving you directions is the sick wife and she has a horrible memory). It also features one of the hardest mini-bosses in the game(in an otherwise very easy game), trapped in an insanely small room with a huge armored guard wielding a massive ball-and-chain. Again, against the norm the item you recieve is actually taking it from that mini-boss when you defeat him. Sadly it's another underutilized weapon(most of them in TP are like this). The boss fight is one of the creepiest things in the series and also very fun. Very fun music, too. In Skyward Sword they attempted to do something similar in one of the later dungeons, where you navigate an old Pirate ship. It's not quite the same, but it's very obvious they were trying to break away from the norm again with the dungeon premise.

1) Stone Tower Temple (Majora's Mask):
This is what Zelda is about. This entire dungeon is the embodiment of the franchise. It will forever be my most favorite dungeon design in the series. Not only is the gameplay leading up to it some of the best stuff in the game(Ikana canyon, SO much going on despite being so deserted), but this dungeon is all about the mind in such a great way. The aesthetics are great, the music is god damn amazing, and YOU FLIP THE ENTIRE DUNGEON UPSIDE DOWN. This is such a great twist to pull in a dungeon, and why it's so great. As you navigate you see chests on the ceiling, gaps and areas you can't pass... and then you hit a switch and everything flips upside down. It's practically two dungeons in one... and admittedly it's fairly lengthy but in such a great way. Like I said, two dungeons in one: you fight two mini-bosses and you gain two items in this dungeon. Sadly both items are... meh. You gain the light arrows, which are almost always pretty much "you need this for a specific boss" and the Giant mask, which can only be used for the boss of this dungeon. Speaking of boss, it brings back an old boss from the earlier 2D games and full glory. You're left in a boss room in a MASSIVE desert. Nothing but pillars and endless(not really) desert. Two insanely massive worms(this was truly astounding at the time) blast out of the desert and you're an ant to them(hence the giant mask). You can either use the mask and enjoy the boss battle as intended(and it really is fun) or go about other means(I think you can kill them with arrows, if you're up to it) for more challenge. Like the boss from Arbiter's Grounds, this isn't the hardest boss and it's not going to numb your mind, but it's just fun and a good way to wind down after that massive dungeon. Let's not forget this game was also made in one year. Think about it, they probably designed this dungeon in less time than it took me to make the railroads


Honorable Mention) Skull Woods (Link to the Past):
It's hard to include a 2D dungeon when there's so many 3D iterations... it's not that the dungeon's aren't fun(I still enjoy all the 2D games) but that they just don't make the same impression. They're still great puzzles and great games, but with 2D graphics it's hard to really hard to make that push into something that player's will always remember. However this is one of those dungeons that does. This dungeon was different in that it had multiple entrances scattered all around Skull Words(Dark World equivalent to the Lost Woods). Some were obvious, some were hidden, and then the final entrance was a large skeleton you needed the Fire Wand to open. That's what's so great about this dungeon, it blurred the line between dungeon and overworld. You had to navigate back and forth an explore the various intrances to progress. It's still something that hasn't really been done in Zelda since then. The problem with this dungeon though is everything else is lackluster. It's incredibly short(you can get the Fire Wand in a few minutes) and the puzzles are nothing amazing. The boss fight is also pretty boring, and just a bullet hell that throws tons of projectiles/obstacles at you to overwhelm you. I really do wish they'd revisit this concept of overworld/underworld dungeons again.  

City in the Sky (Twilight Princess) and Storm Tower Temple (Majora's Mask) are my two favorite, but Ancient Cistern (Skyward Sword) has a special place in my heart.  

ancient cistern. I just love the statue in the main room, and also the boss.  

the first dungeon in oracle of seasons  

Ancient Cistern is probably my favorite.  

water temple in oot

looool jk  

Why do people hate water temple so much.
Is it really that annoying to you?  

Posted by Sup3rn00b

Why do people hate water temple so much.
Is it really that annoying to you?

One key. One single key was very hard to find and navigating the temple was a pain in the ass. You had to constantly change the water levels, which meant getting to the 3 signs over and over. Also changing your boots was a pain in the ass as well. All of that combined with searching every inch of the temple for that missing key made it extremely annoying.  

Posted by Dusty

One key. One single key was very hard to find and navigating the temple was a pain in the ass. You had to constantly change the water levels, which meant getting to the 3 signs over and over. Also changing your boots was a pain in the ass as well. All of that combined with searching every inch of the temple for that missing key made it extremely annoying.

It was fun.















What am I saying? I played the 3D version..

Posted by Infernus Lapse

I have heard only legend of the most horrific dungeon ever made, the ancients called it GraalOnlineClassic. The story goes that once you go in, you are constantly harassed by stupid people and food and items are scam prices. It is so dangerous and horrific that men quake in fear at its mention. Clearly it is the hardest dungeon ever and I do not want to go near it. If link tries to go near it, all I have to say is good luck mate.

HATS HATSHATS STAHP THE HATS HTAS HATS

Posted by princess becca

the first dungeon in oracle of seasons

Hero's Cave?  

One dungeon that stands out to me is Thieves' Town from LTTP

http://zelda.wikia.com/wiki/Thieves%27_Town

I always thought it was a cool plot twist when the lady you were trying to save turned out to be the boss.

Another dungeon I thought was just plain awesome was the Great Deku Tree from OoT.

http://zelda.wikia.com/wiki/Great_Deku_Tree

Something about walking into a tree that was alive was just super cool to me playing the game as a kid.

Probably my all time favorite, though, was Hyrule Castle in LTTP. I'm not 100% sure it even counts, but the whole opening sequence of that game is pretty memorable. I still remember that you can come back with bombs later in the game to get a heart piece.

tldr; I like 2D Zelda games a lot more than most people and am a huge fan of LTTP.  

Posted by Torah

It was fun.

What am I saying? I played the 3D version..

Exactly, they specifically advertised the rehaul of making Water Temple less ****ty as one of their selling points in the 3DS revamp. Play the N64 version one time without using the internet(back then when people played it we couldn't hop on the internet and get a guide).

Posted by MattKan

One dungeon that stands out to me is Thieves' Town from LTTP

http://zelda.wikia.com/wiki/Thieves%27_Town

I always thought it was a cool plot twist when the lady you were trying to save turned out to be the boss.

It's even more interesting with the backstory. That green/grassy house in the Lightworld was actually his house, but he went to the Dark World and transformed into Blind and took over the entire town.

That twist was cool, but at the same time I was never fond of the actual dungeon. The empty bossroom was definitely a twist, and then rescuing/exposing the princess is one of those other things that hasn't been done since... but the dungeon wasn't all that fun for me. It's the dungeon I run to the first chance I get to run in, grab the gold mitts and get out and then revisit whenever I finally feel like completing it.[/QUOTE]  

I think Im going to post a really long response to this thread. But right now I'm tired so l8r  

Posted by Dusty

Exactly, they specifically advertised the rehaul of making Water Temple less ****ty as one of their selling points in the 3DS revamp. Play the N64 version one time without using the internet(back then when people played it we couldn't hop on the internet and get a guide).

jokes on u, i borrowed the game from someone in my class and she also gave me the strat guide!!!  

Hmmmm, this is a hard one :0..  

In TP I played on wii, the one in the sky was a load of fun for me.